Youth jailed After Trying to Make Selfie With DM

Meerut:18-year-old Faraz Ahmad never thought that getting one clicked with the district magistrate would land him in jail for three days. But that’s exactly what happened to the “over-enthusiastic” teenager who wanted a selfie with Bulandshahr (in UP) district magistrate B Chandrakala and came a tad too close for her liking. It all ended with Ahmad being sent to jail, with a reprimand from the DM who said that apart from being the district magistrate she was also a woman and that a woman’s dignity should be “respected by one and all”.

Ahmad, who was arrested on Monday and released on bail only on Thursday, was charged for “getting too close” to Chandrakala at her office when she was speaking to people on some local issues. “The incident happened in the evening at the DM’s office. Ahmad, from Kamalpur village, had accompanied a few elders there for some official work. He tried to click a selfie with the DM, after which he was asked to behave several times,” said additional district magistrate (ADM) Vishal Kumar, who was present during the incident.

DM Chandrakala said the youth should have kept in mind that she was not only an official but also a woman. “A woman has her own dignity, which should be respected by one and all,” she told TOI. “One needs to behave responsibly and must in no way hamper freedom of work for women. In general, I am concerned about today’s youth because they tend to become irresponsible at times. They have a great responsibility towards the nation. Also, I want to clarify that his arrest has nothing to do with the selfie but with the ruckus he created when he was asked to delete the pictures.”

The ADM added that despite repeated warnings, Ahmad continued with his efforts to get that “perfect picture” with the DM. “We escorted him out of the office and asked him to delete whatever pictures he had taken. He, however, refused to budge and got into a scuffle with the officials, including policemen who were present outside the office. It was then that police challaned him under CrPC section 151 (intent to commit crime) and sent to jail,” Kumar said.

Rakesh Singh, station in-charge of Kotwali police station where the case was filed against Ahmad, confirmed the incident and said, “He (Ahmad) was arrested under section 151 of CrPC and released on bail after three days.”

It was Ahmad’s family which on Thursday met the DM and asked her to dismiss the case against him. “He made a mistake, which was certainly punishable. But we are thankful to the DM, who not only listened to us but also agreed to forgive him. We have assured her that he will not repeat such behaviour in future,” said Mohammad Irfan, Ahmad’s uncle.